THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : With more coronavirus cases likely to be reported in the state, the Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital has stepped up arrangements to take on the deadly virus spread which has been declared a global emergency by WHO.
The hospital authorities have set up a special ward for isolating both suspected and confirmed coronavirus cases. Deputy superintendent of the hospital Anil V stated that all arrangements are in place. "We have put two patients, who have arrived from China, under observation at our isolation ward. More cases are likely to come up, hence we decided to clear out an entire floor of our society payward. We will be able to accommodate 14 patients on the floor if the situation demands. It’s essential to keep patients in isolation. There are around 33 paywards in the general hospital," said Anil.
He said that not all patients necessarily show symptoms. "Some patients can be non symptomatic and hence we have to keep all of them coming from the places of virus outbreak under isolation. It will take a week for them to start showing symptoms. Hence we have to keep them all under quarantine for a minimum of 23 to 26 days," added Anil.
He said that the hospital has already started taking swab tests. "We have sent a swab of one of the patients under observation for testing at National Institute of Virology, Pune. Also we have set up a separate OP for such patients at ward number 10. A team has been stationed there to screen such cases," said Anil.
He said that keeping the hospital staff stress free is a major challenge. There are around 800 personnel working at the hospital which include doctors, trainee doctors, nursing staff and paramedical staff. "We already have started giving them training on personal precautions. Keeping them stress free is the key and all of them are on duty since the reporting of the case. We have sufficient personal protection kits for the hospital staff. A request has been made for 1,500 N90 masks apart from the 400 in store," said Anil. The General Hospital has around six ventilators, which could be used for emergencies.